Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohammed Morsi (C) speaks during a press conference in Cairo on Monday, June 18. The Muslim Brotherhood claimed victory in Egypt's first presidential election since Hosni Mubarak was ousted more than a year ago. Photo: EPA/AHMED KHALED.

Washington Post/AP – The speaker of Egypt’s Islamist-dominated parliament called Monday for the legislature to meet this week, raising the stakes in a tense standoff with the powerful military which backed a court ruling to dissolve the chamber.

Egypt’s MENA state news agency said speaker Saad el-Katatni has called for parliament to meet Tuesday, two days after Islamist President Mohammed Morsi issued a surprise decree ordering the legislature to reconvene in defiance of the country’s highest court to dissolve it. The council of generals who ruled Egypt at the time backed the Supreme Constitutional Court’s verdict with a decree to disband the chamber.

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